Hello from a rather cold London. It’s been a jam-packed year, hence the rather long gap since my last post, but I am now excited to announce that Ferdinand Fox and the Lost Boy, the third book in my Ferdinand Fox rhyming picture book series here.
In this new tale of bravery and friendship, Ferdinand stumbles upon a young boy who has fallen and sets out to help him. Young readers will quickly learn that Ferdinand, who is a kind and clever fox, is the unsung hero of the story. 🦊💖
As you will see above, the first two Ferdinand Fox stories were illustrated by Damir Kundalić – Damir did a fantastic job when the books came out 10 years ago. (He lives out in Bosnia so we had to duck and dive with time zones a bit, but it all worked out extremely well!)
For Ferdinand Fox and the Lost Boy the time felt right for a refresh of style, and for the last couple of months I’ve been working with UK-based illustrator, Andrew Smith. I hope you agree that he has done Ferdinand proud! Below is another spread where we see Ferdinand leading the policemen to where they find Michael, the little lost boy…
Three more fox stories to come…!
I have completed six Ferdinand Fox stories in all – written when my children were toddlers – but only two have been out until now: Ferdinand Fox and the Hedgehog and Ferdinand Fox’s Big Sleep, both big hits at school visits.
‘So why such a delay in getting these other books out?’ I hear you ask. 😊 In short, rhyming stories can’t be translated– because of the rhyme! With the cost of illustration, this makes it very hard to break even compared with non-rhyming picture books where the images can be reused for the foreign editions.
Happily, Ferdinand Fox has now earned his keep which means that his stories can now continue. 🦊 I have three more stories in the virtual drawer:
- Ferdinand Fox and the Close Shave
- Ferdinand Fox and the Break-In
- Ferdinand Fox, the Kittens and the Alley Monster
In each, Ferdinand once again quietly saves the day. I plan to start bringing them out from next year and I shall, of course, keep you up to date on that. 😊
Where to buy Ferdinand Fox and the Lost Boy
You can buy the eBook from Amazon to read on a Kindle (or other device using the Kindle App) right away. And if you’re in Kindle Unlimited you can read it for free. 😊
The print copy should be available to order from Amazon this weekend, and from other retailers later in the month.
- View or buy Ferdinand Fox and the Lost Boy on Amazon (Affiliate link. I will receive a very small referral fee at no extra cost to you if you buy from this link.)
Middle-Grade Adventure Books – free or 0.99p/99c today and tomorrow
In other news, I’m delighted to share that ‘Eeek! The Runaway Alien’ – my illustrated chapter book about a soccer-mad alien who comes to Earth – is part of a special 48-hour eBook offer with 17 other wonderful middle-grade stories by author friends of mine.
Eeek is consistently my second-bestselling book at school visits for ages 7–10, and many parents/teachers have told me how the story has transformed their reluctant reader children into eager bookworms. With its laugh-out-loud plot, fun illustrations and surprise ending it really does make reading fun again! Definitely worth grabbing 99p/99c if you’ve a 7-10 year old at home, and/or if you’d like to try it out before buying in print. Oh, and dads and grandads love it too LOL! 📖❤️ Offer is in the UK and US. I’m afraid that other territories won’t let me reduce the price due to the file size
Follow this link or tap the image to find out about this great offer (link opens in a new tab)
The Secret Lake: free ebook for Amazon UK Prime members
On the topic of eBooks, my international bestselling time travel adventure The Secret Lake is currently free if you live in the UK and use Amazon Prime. I’m not sure how long this is for but do visit Amazon UK and grab the deal while you can (Affiliate link)
This magical story has now sold almost 3/4 of a million copies in English, and is in translation in 12 languages. It’s also loved by children and adults alike. 😊
If you are not in the UK and you/your children prefer to read eBooks the whole Secret Lake series is also free if you are part of Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited programme.
With Christmas fast approaching, there couldn’t be a better time to introduce young readers aged 8+ to the series whether in print or as an eBook. With its short chapters, The Secret Lake is also perfect to read aloud to ages 6+ 😊 📚 Check out The Secret Lake on Amazon in your country (Affiliate link)
World Book Day Week UK 2025 – Taking Bookings
I will be in touch again in the run-up to Christmas but just to say that I am now taking booking for in-person and virtual school visit for World Book Day week 2025. Thursday 6th March and Friday 7th March are now taken but I do have availability earlier in the week if your school is within 1.5 hours’ drive of Barnes, London.
Find out more on my School visits page here or drop me a line to find out more.
That’s it for now. I hope your plans for the upcoming holiday season are going well.
Karen
PS If you buy and enjoy Ferdinand Fox and the Lost Boy, please take a moment to leave a short review on Amazon. Thank you!
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